Knitting needle



Jan. 16, 1940. H, a KOHLER 2,187,039

KNITTING NEEDLE Filed Feb. 20, 1939 H II I! II II II H II M II Ll II IIII [2! W gi 21 F/Il (H ll E II E /I /E I E I INVENTOR.

HARRIET S. KOHLER Y y ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KNITTING NEEDLEHarriet 8. Kohler, Wcstport, Conn. Application February 20, 1939, SerialNo. 257,486

lclaim.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in knittingneedles and relates more particularly to an improved knitting orcrocheting needle having means for measuring the work as 8 the sameprogresses.

The art of hand knitting has been practiced by young and old, and richand poor alike, for countless centuries. Over this long period the toolsrequired for the art, namely the needles, and the 10 method of using thesame, have remained virtually, unchanged. The knitter may workpractically continuously without interruption of any kind except for thefrequent necessity of measuring the length of the row of stitching inorder to properly shape the garment to the body of the person for whomintended.

Virtually all knitted articles, with the exception of scarfs and similarthings, are made to fit a predetermined shape and as the garmentprogresses portions must be decreased or enlarged in order to fit thecontour of the body. This is accomplished by increasing or decreasingthe number 01' stitches in a given row. Also, in order to provide foropenings in the garment, as for arm holes, a number of inches ofstitches are dropped in accordance with a predetermined plan. In manyinstances the knitter is guided solely by the number of stitches, andwhen an area is to be enlarged, for instance at the breast portion, thenumber of N stitches is merely increased. This cannot be done accuratelywithout constant measuring the combined length of the stitches in agiven row, by the use of a ruler. This necessitates stopping theknitting, laying down the needles and applying :5 the ruler to the rowof stitches.

Inasmuch as all knitting, crocheting and the like is done to givendimensions, which, of course, requires suitable measuring means, theknitter frequently tries to avoid the use of a ruler by 0 making hercalculations from the number of stitches knitted. Any given knitter,with needles of certain proportions and yarn of a certain texture andthickness, will normally knit a given number ofstitches per inch.Calculations made 45 in this manner,.however, are most uncertain sincethe yarn necessarily varies as well as the work of the knitter, andaccordingly the stitches are not uniform in number per given runninglength. Also, the knitter becomes involved in conversa- 50 tion,knitting being a social pastime, and accordingly forgets to count.

It is accordingly one of the principal objects of the present inventionto provide a knitting needle which will avoid all of the aforementioneddimculties in knitting, the needle being provided with means to enablethe user to make her linear calculations accurately and without ceasingthe knitting operation. w

To this end, the invention comprises a knitting needle havingappropriate markings thereon to 5 permit the user to measure thecombined length of the stitches contained upon the needle withoutceasing the knitting operation.

To this end, the invention comprises a knitting needle havingappropriate markings thereon to 1 .permit the user to measure thecombined length of the stitches contained upon the needle withoutremoving the stitches from the needle. Thus the knitter may tell at aglance the length of the combined stitches and when stitches are to be13 dropped or added, there is no need to cease knitting to measure thestitches. The needle may also be used to measure vertically, but itsprincipal advantage results from the fact that the user may measurehorizontally while continuing 20 the knitting, and this measuring is farmore accurate than if it were accomplished solely by counting stitches.

Another object of the invention is to provide a needle of this characterwherein the markings 2 contained thereon will not interfere with theknitting operation.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention; 80

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partially in section, of

a modified embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 3 shows a further modiflcation therein.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 1, andincludes a knitting needle ill of more or less conventional shape, suchneedle being made of metal or other suitable material and having aknitting point Ii at one end thereof. Upon the external surface of theneedle there are a plurality of linear markings which, in the case ofmetal, are desirably formed by burning or staining the metal so that thecolor of such markings will contrast in some measure at least with thatof the metal itself. These markings may, of course, be made in anymanner well known in the art, the principal thing being that suchmarkings do not materially distort the surface in order that they willform no resistance to the longitudinal movement of the stitchesthereover.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the needle is formed with markings l2which are spaced one inch apart and desirably extend circumferentiallyof the needle. Between these markings I! there are half-inch markingsl8, 5

which may be somewhat shorter than the inch markings, and intermediatequarter-inch markings II which may if desired be merely dots formed inthe metal. Inasmuch as the first inch or'thereabouts oi the needle isused in the knitting operation, this portion is free from marking, aswill be noted.

The needle I! shown in Fig. 2 is likewise provided with a knitting pointit and with a plurality of spaced annular recesses [8, which recessesare filled with enamel, lacquer or other suitable material also of acolor contrasting to that of the needle i5. It will be noted that thefilling material I1 is of such thickness as to be substantially flushwith the external surface of the needie.

The embodiments of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 show thepreferred methods of carrying out the invention in connection withmetallic needles. In Fig. 3 the needle 20 is shown with a crochetinghook 2!, such needle desirably being made from any suitable plasticmaterial, and in this instance the linear graduations are desirablyformed by impregnating the surface of the needle with a suitablesolvent, having a pigment incorporated therein, the solvent partiallydissolving the surface of the needle and when the solvent hasevaporated, the pigment has impregnated the surface. In this instance,the one inch markings 22 are illustrated as being of a color contrastingwith the half-inch markings II in order to permit the user to clearlydistinguish between such markings.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing methods of carrying out theinvention are illustrative only, and are not to be taken in any limitingsense, since the surface of the needle, whether made from metal,plastics or other material, may be suitably marked in any manner wellknown in the art.

What I claim is:

A knitting needle provided with means for permitting the user to measurethe combined length of the stitches contained thereon during theknitting operation, comprising an elongated member made from plasticmaterial and being provided with markings impregnated therein, themarkings corres onding to known linear measurements and being of a colorcontrasting with the plastic material.

I-IARRIEI S. KOHLER.

